Mobile area post office to remain open a little longer

MOBILE, Alabama -- The U.S. Postal Service has issued a moratorium on closings that will allow the post office in Bucks to remain open until Jan. 13, officials said Friday.

The moratorium runs from Nov. 19 to Jan. 2, officials said Friday in a news release. No further information about the moratorium was available late Friday.

Meanwhile, eight post offices around the state including the one in Huxford closed at the end of business Friday, according to postal officials. In all, 17 post offices in Alabama slated for closure will no longer provide service after Nov. 18, the day before the moratorium begins, officials said.

The Postal Service, burdened by falling mail volume and a congressional requirement that it set aside billions of dollars a year for retiree obligations, could lose a record $10 billion this year, officials have said. The Eight Mile Station in Prichard closed in June.